Green Cities Fit for Life

Image by C. Spahrbier

London’s FoodSave scheme to reduce food waste

A new initiative in London is dramatically changing the way in which restaurants and hotels address the issue of food waste. The FoodSave project aims to radically reduce food waste and put any leftover food to good use. Research carried out by WRAP reveals that more than 1.3 billion meals are wasted annually in UK’s hospitality and food catering sector.

Image courtesy of london.gov.uk

The Food Save Scheme has already helped businesses save over £100,000.The Mayor’s Environment Adviser, Matthew Pencharz, said “With FoodSave cafes, pubs and restaurants are learning simple ways to reduce the amount of food they throw away and saving thousands of pounds in the process. The Mayor now wants hundreds more businesses to get on board this great free scheme and help us dramatically reduce food waste across the city.“

The selection of the European Green Capital Award is based on 12 environmental indicator areas evaluated by an expert panel. Waste production and management is one of these indicators assessed. Copenhagen European Green Capital 2014 sends less than 2% of its waste to landfill. Almost 58% of all waste is recycled and 40% is used to fuel the city’s district heating network.